Monthly Archives: July 2011

Finally, Tampa Bay has recalled Desmond Jennings to the big leagues. The former Itawamba Community College standout was hitting .278 with 12 home runs and 17 stolen bases at Triple-A Durham this season, his third tour at that level. He got a 17-game trial with the Rays last year and was penciled in as the opening day left fielder for 2011 when Carl Crawford departed as a free agent. But a bad spring and the signing of Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez pushed Jennings back to Triple-A. He’s certainly made his case for another shot, possibly in left field, possibly in center. Scuffling B.J. Upton, the regular center fielder, was pulled early from Friday night’s game and might be traded very soon. Jennings has center-field speed and could also help the Rays as a leadoff batter.
P.S. Marcus Thames, recently cut loose by the Los Angeles Dodgers, has signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. The Louisville native hit 12 homers for the Yanks in 2010. He never got it going with the Dodgers, hitting just two home runs while battling injuries. Don’t know what he’s got left at this point.

Way back in 1984, he was 6 feet 3 and about 190 pounds — cut like an athlete, which he was. A multi-sport star from California, as a matter of fact. Billy Beane, the Jackson Mets right fielder in ’84, also had movie star looks. He was cool, without trying. He even rode his bike from his Jackson apartment to Smith-Wills Stadium on occasion. Now that’s cool. He was also a nice guy, one of the most approachable members of the ’84 JaxMets, even though that was his third year at the Double-A level. He had an unforgettable moment that summer, hitting a walk-off homer at Smith-Wills to win the Texas League All-Star Game. Again, cool. He hadn’t been picked for the game originally but returned from a beach trip with some buddies to participate when another player dropped out. He said he owed it to the fans in Jackson to play, and he was sincere. Very cool. He also returned a phone call from a Jackson sports writer to talk about it 24 years later. A first-round draft pick, Beane didn’t pan out exactly as the New York Mets had hoped, but he was a good player. Good enough, ultimately, to make the big leagues. But he’s done a better job as the general manager of the Oakland A’s, fielding a consistently competitive club in a market where it’s tough to win. That’s what the movie “Moneyball” is all about. Seen the promos for it yet? It’s due out in September. Playing the part of Billy Beane? Brad Pitt. Now how cool is that?

The first Mississippi-connected player picked in the 2010 draft, left-hander Drew Pomeranz out of Ole Miss, is rising swiftly in the Cleveland organization. Pomeranz, the fifth overall selection last year, made his second Double-A start today for Akron and went five innings, allowing three hits and one run with two walks and six strikeouts. His ERA over 9 2/3 innings at this level is 1.86 with 11 K’s. Pomeranz was 3-2 with a 1.87 ERA at Class A Kinston this season. He’ll almost certainly be in the big leagues by 2012.

The Texas Rangers are hot: 12 straight wins. Mitch Moreland is not: a .133 average in July. The second-year first baseman from Amory and Mississippi State is facing some real adversity for the first time as a big leaguer. Dealing with slumps and figuring a way out of them is how players prove their worth in The Show. Every player goes through it. This is Moreland’s time. It’ll be interesting to watch how he responds. He’s still getting playing time; the Rangers haven’t given up on him by any means. He hit a three-run homer Sunday, possibly a good sign. For the year, the lefty hitter is batting .262 with 12 homers and 27 RBIs. The RBI total is low in part because Moreland hits low in a power-packed order. But he needs to step it up. Odds are he will.
P.S. Props to the Hattiesburg Black Sox, who came through the loser’s bracket to win the Mississippi Baseball Congress (semi-pro) state tournament at Smith-Wills Stadium on Tuesday night. The top-seeded Sox’s Trey Jones was named MVP and two of his teammates, Tony Phillips and Josh Sherman, also made the MBC All-State team.

Roy Oswalt threw today for the first time in almost a month. And the Weir native, on the disabled list for Philadelphia, reportedly threw without pain or stiffness in his back. “I actually felt great,” he told philly.com after tossing 50 pitches in a bullpen session at Wrigley Field in Chicago. “Probably felt as good as I did in spring training.” Oswalt is on his second DL stint because of the back problems. His numbers to date aren’t what he typically puts up: 4-6, 3.79 ERA. Indications are he’s going to try to pitch again for the Phillies next month, and maybe he’ll bounce back with a strong stretch run. That’s the hope in Philly. But there must also be the fear that the back could go balky again.

If you didn’t get out to Trustmark Park this summer to see Tyler Pastornicky, well, you missed your chance. The young shortstop was promoted from the Double-A Mississippi Braves to Triple-A Gwinnett today. Don’t expect to see him in Pearl again. Pastornicky, rated Atlanta’s No. 14 prospect heading into this season, was hitting .299 with six homers and 36 RBIs for the M-Braves. He had 20 stolen bases and five triples, plus he only struck out 30 times in 355 at-bats. His defense was solid; his arm looked strong. His father, Cliff, played in The Show, so baseball is thick in his blood. He reminds one of a slightly larger version of David Eckstein. Considering the struggles veteran Alex Gonzalez has had at the plate this season in Atlanta, Braves brass, thinking of 2012 if not this season, is surely eager to see how Pastornicky fares against the more savvy pitching he’ll encounter in Triple-A. His future looks bright.
P.S. Tee Relaford, the highly touted shortstop at Hinds Community College, has signed with the San Francisco Giants. Relaford, from Georgia, hit .280 for the Eagles and reportedly stood out with his glove. The Giants drafted him in the 44th round.

Caught a Smith-Wills Stadium/Trustmark Park double feature on Monday night: the Hattiesburg Black Sox vs. the Mossy Oak Bucks in the Mississippi Baseball Congress (semi-pro) state tournament and the Mississippi Braves vs. the Tennessee Smokies in a Double-A Southern League contest. The Bucks beat the Sox 2-1 in a matchup of undefeated teams; Mossy Oak moved into tonight’s championship round. The most compelling figures in the MBC game were Hattiesburg pitcher Tony Phillips, the 41-year-old former Triple-A hurler, and DH Wendell Magee, the 38-year-old former major league outfielder. The crafty Phillips, working for the second straight day, pitched well enough to win but didn’t get enough offensive support. Magee, who hit .247 with 24 homers over parts of seven big league seasons, went 1-for-3 but was picked off first base by the catcher and hit into a double play (after failing to get a bunt down) in the seventh and final inning. At the TeePee, the M-Braves won 4-1 behind the brilliant, three-hit pitching of lefty Brett Oberholtzer and a clutch three-run double by Cory Harrilchak. The M-Braves had lost the first game of the night 2-1, completing a contest suspended from Sunday by weather. The M-Braves still aren’t hitting enough. They’re 12-13 heading into a five-game road trip to Jacksonville — but they’re already 7 games out in the SL South.

Scott Diamond’s debut wasn’t a gem, but it wasn’t a lump of coal, either. The former Mississippi Braves standout took the loss for Minnesota tonight, allowing seven hits and three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings of a 6-3 defeat against Cleveland. Diamond, who had a losing mark in Triple-A this season, was a tough-luck pitcher for the M-Braves in 2009 and ’10. He was 9-16 despite a 3.50 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 233 innings. He’s got a chance to be a good one for the Twins, who took Diamond in the Rule 5 draft last December and then swung a trade to keep the tall lefty. Billy Bullock, current M-Braves reliever, was the player dealt by Minnesota.

What a day it was Sunday for players with Mississippi ties, a day so filled with noteworthy items it’s worthy of a Top 10 list:
1) Scott Diamond was summoned to the big leagues by Minnesota, and the former Mississippi Braves left-hander will make his major league debut today against Cleveland. Diamond will be the 54th M-Braves alumnus to advance to The Show, the sixth to do so this season.
2) Former Mississippi State star Mitch Moreland homered to supply all the runs for Texas in its 3-1 win over Seattle, the 11th straight victory for the Rangers. Ex-M-Brave Matt Harrison got the W.
3) Ole Miss product Zack Cozart hit his first major league homer — off former Rebels teammate Lance Lynn — to help Cincinnati beat St. Louis 3-1.
4) Ex-Rebels standout Alex Presley had three hits, three RBIs, a run and a stolen base in Pittsburgh’s 7-5 win against Houston in 11 innings.
5) MSU alum Jonathan Papelbon nailed down his 21st save with a 1-2-3 16th inning as Boston beat Tampa Bay 1-0.
6) Carlos Guillen, the former Jackson Generals star who came off the DL on Saturday, had a big RBI hit for Detroit in its 4-3 win over Chicago. It’s been 12 years since the Gens last played at Smith-Wills Stadium, but several alums of those Astros clubs are still contributing, including Lance Berkman, Bobby Abreu, Freddy Garcia, Ramon Castro and Julio Lugo.
7) Berkman, having an MVP-caliber season, belted his 25th homer in St. Louis’ loss to Cincy.
8) Former M-Brave Jeff Francoeur homered, his 13th, in Kansas City’s 4-3 loss to Minnesota.
9) Ex-Ole Miss star Seth Smith had two hits and an RBI for Colorado in a 4-3 loss to Milwaukee.
10) Freddie Freeman, former M-Braves standout, got the game-winning hit for Atlanta in the bottom of the ninth against Washington. Seven of Atlanta’s nine runs were scored by M-Braves alums, and Brian McCann — another MVP candidate — drove in three of them with his 16th home run.
P.S. Ole Miss product Matt Tolbert was sent to the minors by the Twins, who added ex-M-Brave Chuck James to their bullpen. Tolbert can play a lot of positions but hasn’t hit much this year (.181 in 55 games).

Two of the biggest surprises of the first half in MLB are Cleveland and Pittsburgh. And, yes, there are Mississippi connections of note in both clubhouses. Pascagoula native and former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star Tony Sipp has posted a 2.72 ERA, 17 holds and a 4-1 record as a lefty relief specialist for the Indians, who are 47-42 and battling for first place in the American League Central. For the Pirates, 47-43 at the break and just a game off the pace in the National League Central, the managerial work of Clint Hurdle has been a key in this moribund club’s sudden ascent. Hurdle, a former Jackson Mets manager, took Colorado to the 2007 World Series. He’s a vocal, take-charge, no-nonsense kind of guy, and his style seems to have perked up the Bucs at long last. Former Mississippi State ace Paul Maholm has won three of his last four starts to help in Pittsburgh’s climb. He has a 2.96 ERA but just a 6-9 record; he hasn’t gotten consistent run support from what is a young lineup. And then there’s Alex Presley, the Ole Miss product who recently got the call from Triple-A and has hit .365 with a homer, six RBIs and nine runs in 13 games. Pittsburgh has a tough decision to make when injured Jose Tabata, the regular left fielder, returns after the break.